Category: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

This topic provides the latest news articles and resources related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Check back here to keep informed.

To What Extent Should Performance Appraisals Take COVID Into Consideration?

Performance reviews are a critical part of employee management. Unfortunately, they’re often given little attention by companies around the country. Even the best companies routinely limit formal performance reviews to once per year, with busy managers often scrambling to complete them at the last minute. This typical scenario fails to provide meaningful feedback to substantially […]

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Maine’s Vaccine Mandate

On Tuesday, October 19, the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals denied unvaccinated healthcare workers’ request for an injunction to delay Maine’s healthcare provider vaccine mandate. On the same day, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the same request. The Supreme Court left the door open for the workers to file a new application for an […]

Answers to 13 Common Questions About New Federal Vaccine, Testing Mandates

When President Joe Biden recently announced a six-pronged strategy to contain COVID-19’s spread, one of the most notable measures was a vaccination and/or weekly testing mandate affecting employers and employees nationwide. We still don’t know many details, but here are answers to some of the most common questions we’ve received since the mandates were announced. […]

How to Keep Hiring Safety in Mind During the Pandemic

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings increased to a record high of 10.9 million on the last business day of this past July. With the demand for labor high and prospects lower than normal, some companies are willing to do whatever it takes to fill their open positions as quickly as […]

What Governor’s Antivaccine Mandate Order Means for Texas Employers

Texas Governor Greg Abbott this week issued Executive Order (EO) GA-40 setting the state on a collision course with the federal government over whether private employers can issue a vaccine mandate to their employees. The order states in pertinent part: No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including […]

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The Next Health Challenge for Employers: Navigating Flu Season Amid a Pandemic

Living through a pandemic has taught us many things, chief among them being that just when you think you’ve adapted to a new normal, it’s already changed. Viruses evolve, as do our responses. Today, we have a better understanding of how the virus spreads and vaccines that are effective and readily available. But we’re also […]

Vax Mandate, Not Lax Mandate: Security Considerations for Vaccine Mandate Compliance

Despite rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations driven by the delta variant, executive leaders are pushing toward a post-pandemic return-to-work model that puts employees in the office at least two days a week. HR and IT/security professionals have been feeling squeezed between a rock and a hard place trying to meet workforce health, safety, technology, data […]

Vaccine Passports: Privacy Risks, Implementation Problems

Since the onset of the pandemic, the concept of COVID-19 “passports” has been a recurring and controversial component in the process of reopening the economy. While it has become perhaps commonplace in the hospitality industry, proving vaccination status may soon be a de facto requirement for millions more U.S. workers—not just those working in customer-facing […]

‘Long COVID’ and the Workplace: What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many people have caught (or know others who have contracted) the virus. Most who recover from the infection do so within a couple weeks or shortly thereafter. For some, however, the symptoms have persisted for months after contracting the illness. The condition has become so common it’s now dubbed as […]

Tips for Employers Awaiting Details on New COVID-19 Vaccine Rules

President Joe Biden’s announcement of a new action plan aimed at curbing the COVID-19 pandemic will create new requirements for certain employers, and the rules have employers asking what they need to do, when they need to comply, and the consequences for noncompliance. Biden’s plan, announced September 9, is a six-pronged approach that includes an […]